"First semifinal match!"
"On the east side, the ice affinity holder, ranked 9th—Damian Kade!"
"And on the west side, the fire affinity holder, ranked 2nd—Rygar Ardent!"
Cheers immediately erupted from all corners of the arena. Their names echoed, shouted by hundreds of students from all grades. But amidst all the noise, it felt like time slowed down.
Damian Kade slowly stepped into the center of the arena.
Setsu'ryū hung from his waist. Each step was confident, his breathing steady, but there was a pressing pressure in his chest, not fear, but the knowledge that this fight would change everything.
Across from him, Rygar Ardent stood waiting.
His body was straight, his large axe slung across his back, and the sharp gaze he gave Damian revealed his eagerness to defeat him.
The two stood facing each other.
The air between them slowly shifted, cold and heat clashing without touching.
And though the crowd cheered louder than ever, deep inside the hearts of both fighters, everything was silent.
Zephyrus Arena – The Battle Begins
"Begin!"
The referee's voice echoed loudly throughout the arena, and within seconds, two figures shot from opposite sides.
Damian moved first, his body enveloped in a mist of ice that twisted with his movements. He swung Setsu'ryū in a diagonal slash, creating a sharp, swift, and deadly icicle in the air, aiming it at Rygar.
Rygar didn't back down.
With one decisive movement, he summoned dense fire magic that formed a massive shield in front of him. The flames didn't just burn; they blazed, seething, as if alive.
CLANG!
Sparks of ice and embers flew in all directions. The shockwave from their collision shook the arena floor, sending dust and ice crystals flying into the air.
The audience fell silent for a moment.
Then a resounding, resounding sound echoed throughout the arena.
The battle unfolded at a frenetic pace and with incredible power. Damian and Rygar exchanged blows without pause.
With each step Damian took, ice spread from the soles of his feet, freezing the arena ground bit by bit. The thin layer of ice created a slippery, icy terrain.
Meanwhile, every swing of Rygar's axe sliced through the air with scorching heat. Waves of fire erupted from each strike, creating booms and explosions that cracked parts of the arena's surface.
Every time they met, ice and fire collided with full force.
BOOM!
The magical boom of their clashes echoed through the stands. Hot winds and shards of ice flew in all directions, forcing several students in the front row to hold their breath and take a step back.
From the stands, a student shouted, "He blocked Rygar's attack?! He blocked it?!"
Someone from the third year also widened their eyes, "Crazy... that's a first year, isn't it?!"
The tension rose. What had initially been thought to be a battle between a senior and a junior had become a clash between the two strongest individuals in the school.
The sound of clashing magic continued to echo from the center of the arena, shaking every spectator watching the extraordinary battle. In the participants' stands, Damian's friends stood silently, but their faces spoke volumes.
Tessa covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes widened, her body trembling slightly.
"This isn't just a fight..." she whispered softly, barely audible. "This is a duel to determine who is the strongest in this school."
Beside her, Lucien stood still, his gaze sharp and focused. He watched Damian's every move carefully.
"Damian is starting to read Rygar's movement patterns. His steps are starting to adjust," he said quietly.
Liam stood rigidly at the edge of the bench, his hands clenched at his sides.
"You can do it, Master Damian..." he murmured, filled with confidence and tension.
Then Elric stepped forward, his body tense. His usual smile was gone.
"Come on..." he said loudly. "Show me who you are."
Amidst the cheers and the roar of fire and ice that was still raging in the arena, six people stood, staring at their friend now fighting on the front lines.
They weren't just watching. They believed Damian was the strongest in the school.
Some time after the fight took place…..
Damian knew his time was running out.
Setsu'ryū was already covered in ice, and due to the power he had unleashed, the ice layer grew thicker as the mana pressure around his body increased. With a steady breath, he unleashed his final ray of ice, the ultimate power he had been preparing since the beginning of the fight.
He leaped high into the air. The air around him froze instantly, particles of ice magic sparkling like shooting stars.
Then, with a single swing of Setsu'ryū, he combined all his mana into a single attack.
"FROZEN DIVIDE!" he said calmly.
An icy attack, an icy blue aura shaped like a massive cross, shot toward Rygar with incredible speed and precision. The attack sent an explosion of ice magic through the arena, radiating from the ground, forming a frozen chasm that split the arena down the middle.
Rygar was right in front of the attack.
BOOM!!
The attack struck him squarely, with a powerful explosion that split the surface of the arena in two. Smoke and white mist clouded his vision, and for a moment… the arena fell silent.
But from behind the enveloping mist of ice, the firelight reignited.
Rygar emerged with his axe, his clothes torn to shreds, his body covered in blood and wounds, but he remained standing.
Flames surrounded his body.
He raised his axe high, and with a short scream, he leaped into the air.
BOOM!!
The axe struck the ground with full force. A blast of fire swept across the arena in a large radius. A heat wave exploded in all directions, destroying much of the ice surface and the ice pillars made of Damian's power.
Damian's body was thrown backward, tumbling several times before finally colliding with the arena wall. Dust and smoke filled the air, and the cheers in the stands turned to a tense silence.
Two great powers had just destroyed each other in front of the entire academy.
And only one remained standing.
The dust and haze of fire still hung in the air when a firm voice rang out from the center of the arena.
"Damian Kade is eliminated. Rygar Ardent advances to the finals."
Instructor Van raised one hand high, signaling the official decision.
For a few seconds, the entire arena fell silent.
There were no cheers. No shouts. Only silence, a sign of respect for the fight that had just taken place.
Damian lay on the ground, his body immobile. His breathing was heavy and labored, but his consciousness remained. His eyes were open, staring up at the sky, framed by ice debris and the remains of fire.
Heavy footsteps could be heard approaching.
Rygar walked slowly toward Damian. His body was covered in wounds, but he remained standing.
When he reached Damian, he touched the wound on his cheek.
"This wound…" he said softly. "…I will never forget it."
Then he stood. His face was calm again, but his eyes held a look of respect.
He turned, looked toward the stands, and laughed heartily.
"Hahaha… Great, Damian Kade. I'll wait until you get stronger."
And for the first time, Rygar smiled.
New cheers began to ring out from all corners of the arena, but in one corner of the stands, Damian's friends stood silently, overcome by a wave of emotions that were hard to describe.
Elric was the first to break the silence. His eyes widened, his body leaning forward.
"HE ALMOST BEAT RYGAR..." he shouted in a voice filled with admiration, unconcerned with who heard.
Beside him, Liam simply smiled—not a wide smile, but a smile filled with pride. His eyes fixed on Damian, who lay still in the middle of the arena, his face composed, as if speaking heart to heart.
"In my eyes, you have always been the strongest, Master Damian. And you just showed me the gap between my strength and yours. I will become stronger so I can always be by your side to protect Master Damian."
Tessa covered her mouth softly, and Rin wiped away the tears that had fallen without them realizing it. Neither of them said anything, but their gazes at Damian were enough to convey everything: emotion, pride, and trust.
Lucien closed his book slowly and stood up. He stared ahead, his eyes thoughtful, but his voice came out with an unusual firmness.
"One day... he will win."
And as the sun began to tilt westward, they all knew one thing for certain.
Today, Damian Kade may have lost the match, but he won in the hearts of all who watched.
The broadcast echoed throughout the stadium once more.
"Second semifinal matchup!"
"From the east: 5th place — Brakth Runebreaker!"
"And from the west: 12th place — Ragnar Brimeclaw!"
The cheers rang out, but not as usual. The atmosphere felt much heavier, tense, like a storm waiting to erupt.
Ragnar stepped into the arena earlier than scheduled. His body was straight, but his eyes were unfocused. As he reached the center, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial containing the liquid he had used in his previous fight.
Without hesitation, he downed it.
From the referee's seat, Instructor Van stood, looking shocked.
"That...!"
In the competition stands, Lucien narrowed his eyes and said quietly, "He's already used it once. If he uses it again... the effects will be unpredictable."
"The fight begins!"
Ragnar shot forward, ten times faster than before. Brakth, usually unwavering, began to struggle to keep up with the onslaught. The ground cracked with each Ragnar strike, and Brakth's defenses began to erode piece by piece.
Ragnar's aura darkened. His eyes lost focus, his body swelled unnaturally, and his entire being began to glow wildly.
Elric rose from his seat, his face tense. "He's losing control!"
Ragnar bellowed, his scream piercing the air and shaking the arena. With one furious blow, he shattered a large section of the arena floor, sending shards of magic stone flying in all directions.
The situation was dire.
Instructor Van leaped into the center of the arena, followed by two other teachers.
"Double the power of the arena shield! Immediately!"
Ragnar continued to move wildly, like a wild animal out of control. His breathing was heavy. His muscles bulged. His magic was unstable.
Then, he stopped. He looked up at the sky.
And suddenly, he turned his head, straight toward the judges' stand. His gaze fell on one person: Professor Limbert.
"VELGRIN NOCTURNEEEEE!!! REMEMBER THAT NAME!!!"
His scream shook the entire stadium.
And in an instant,
BOOM!!
A massive explosion erupted from where Ragnar stood. Red light exploded and engulfed the entire arena in a brutal wave of magic. The academy's protective alarm system automatically activated, enveloping the entire venue in a protective crystal dome.
The cheers turned to screams. The atmosphere in the arena turned to fear.
And a previously unknown name began to haunt all who heard it.
Velgrin Nocturne.
That afternoon, Zephyrus felt quieter than usual.
Although hundreds of students were still in the academy's hallways and courtyards, there was no laughter, no shouts of excitement. All that could be heard were whispers, low, nervous, and full of questions.
"Who is Velgrin Nocturne?"
"Why did she shout that name before she exploded?"
"Could it be... this was all planned?"
On the highest floor of the academy, afternoon light filtered into the headmaster's office.
Professor Limbert stood looking out the window, his hands clasped behind his back. His eyes stared at the twilight sky, but his thoughts were elsewhere, in the shadows of the past and the profound secret that only he and a few others knew.
"This... is dangerous. This is not just an incident," said Professor Limbert.
Without another word, he walked to his desk. Then, he wrote something on a scroll.
The scroll contained only one order:
"Gather the seven strongest students from this tournament. This mission must be carried out immediately, before it's too late."